Related National Programs

1a.Objectives (from AD-416):
To collect, test, and disseminate real-time wheat quality data for the hard winter wheat growing region each year during harvest in order to promote the domestic and export sale of U.S. wheat. Plains Grains, Inc. (PGI) will collect and provide hard winter wheat samples to the USDA-ARS-HWWQL for end-use quality analysis. These representative samples will have been produced throughout the hard winter wheat growing region, varying in specific end-use marketing and functionality parameters.

1b.Approach (from AD-416):
The USDA-ARS-HWWQL will quantify the physical and chemical properties of these samples, and characterize their end-use quality and functionality for pan bread. The resulting data will be provided to PGI so that they can produce an interactive website that will enable potential domestic and international wheat buyers to view interactive maps of the wheat production regions and ascertain “near real-time” quality and production data in those regions. The ability to monitor wheat quality in real-time has the potential to not only increase end-use product utilization (sales), but to also enhance product development (research).

3.Progress Report:

Industry Need: Potential buyers of U.S. hard winter wheat, whether domestic or foreign, currently have no single, knowledgeable, unbiased source to utilize in order to locate wheat within the growing region that meets their end-use needs.

Crop Survey Goals:
1) Determine the end-use functionality (quality) of each year's hard winter wheat crop and thus assist industry channels to market wheat based on this critical information;
2) Provide real-time functionality data on the U.S. wheat harvest in an online format for wheat buyers (both foreign and domestic) and other industry interested customers; and
3) Educate members of the wheat industry throughout the marketing chain about wheat quality and wheat quality's impact on the final end-use product via a comprehensive annual report (and other venues, as they arise).

Crop Survey Outcomes

A range of useful outcomes are accomplished annually and over time, including:

• The USDA, ARS and the HWWQL gains greater recognition as an unbiased and reliable source for end-use quality evaluation of experimental and commercially released hard winter wheat lines.
• The HWWQL enhances its stature as the leading U.S. source for information, innovation and technology regarding wheat quality.
• The Survey provides direct and immediate impact (information and monetary value) to the wheat industry (tax-payers) by providing commercial crop quality data at no cost.
• A unique method of communication is established between the HWWQL, PGI, the U.S. wheat industry (breeders, growers, producers, millers, bakers) and key domestic and overseas users of U.S. wheat.
• The survey provides the opportunity to build additional, positive, technical contact between domestic/overseas wheat customers and HWWQL/PGI personnel.
• U.S. breeding programs are enhanced as domestic and overseas end-use quality needs are more specifically targeted.
• Wheat commissions and grower groups are provided with information that can be used to help producers understand the importance of end-use quality to domestic and overseas markets, who their domestic/overseas customers are, and what their quality needs are.
• State wheat commissions are further encouraged to continue to evolve and distribute "Recommended Varieties Lists" that include recognition of the quality demands of domestic and overseas end-users.
• Growers continue to use updated "Recommended Varieties Lists" in order to grow better quality varieties, where those varieties also have agronomic superiority.
• The grain trade is further encouraged to respond to increasing market demand for specific end-use quality, including evolution of some varietal IP shipments.
• New U.S. wheat varieties are released that optimize genetic potential to meet quality needs of overseas end-users.
• Improved domestic/overseas end-user satisfaction with U.S. wheat quality, which enhances the marketability and value of U.S. wheat.